2.

"Kyu kyu?"

It was a sparrow. Or rather, a bird the size of one. Its feathers shimmered with such a brilliant, pure gold that calling it a mere sparrow felt like an insult. The tiny creature popped out of the distorted air, looking as if it had just hatched, yet it hovered effortlessly, meeting Buja's gaze with intelligent eyes.

"What do you want, punk?" he grumbled.

Without the system holograms, he would have been startled, but he knew this creature was the Legendary pet he had just won. Its bright eyes and the neat row of tiny teeth in its small beak were almost too cute for a dragon. Its chubby belly was visible beneath its furiously flapping wings, a classic feature of the dragons from fantasy novels. It was so adorable that hugging it would have been a perfectly normal reaction.

Instead, he held its gaze, initiating a staring contest.

"You just got here, and instead of greeting your master, you're glaring at me? How rude."

This was a living, breathing creature. The question wasn't where it came from, but how they were going to coexist. In games, building a bond with a pet was entirely the master's responsibility, and Buja's preferred method was to establish dominance from the start.

For three, then five minutes, the silent battle of wills continued. Finally, the gold dragon's gaze began to drift downward.

"That's right. Lower your eyes, you little brat."

A triumphant smirk spread across Buja's face, but he quickly realized the creature wasn't admitting defeat. Its gaze scanned his body, eventually stopping at his waist. After another long look, it met his eyes again.

"Kyu!"

With a vigorous cry, it flapped its tiny wings, landed on his shoulder, and began affectionately rubbing its soft, feathery head against his neck.

"…What the hell?"

Frowning at this unexpected turn of events, Buja followed the dragon's earlier line of sight to his waist, trying to understand the sudden change.

"Ah." A realization dawned on him. 'Could it be?'

He gently picked up the dragon and placed it on his palm.

"Are you a female?" he asked with a smug grin. "You little rascal."

Having earned the approval of a bird, Buja's pride swelled, his shoulders straightening as if he could touch the sky.

* * *

Leaving the gold dragon to splash happily in the water, he returned to the task at hand.

"So, what can you actually do for me?"

Legendary grade, class-exclusive—none of that mattered to Buja. Only one question was important: was it useful?

▶ Summoned Pet: Gold Dragon (L)

▶ Pets Owned: 1

He pulled up the information on the forcibly summoned dragon.

[Gold Dragon]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Name: Undecided (Can be changed once for free.)

▶ Level: 1

▶ Stats: Strength (15), Agility (15), Stamina (15), Magic (50)

▶ Skills Owned:

1. Gold Growth

▷ Currently in a state of forced summon. This penalty will be removed upon learning the 'Unsummon' skill.

"So, 'Undecided', you really are Legendary grade."

He had expected its stats to be as pitiful as his own had been at the start. His experience with the Gold Maker class had taught him one thing: no gold, no gain. No work, no food. He'd assumed the same would apply to his pet, picturing a tiny sparrow with all stats at 1, its only merit being its cuteness. But its starting stats made him pause.

"Not bad at all."

With these specs, it could probably take on monsters in a 1-star dungeon and win without any help. And that overwhelming magic stat was certainly worthy of a creature called a dragon.

"Shouldn't it at least come with a basic Fireball skill, though?"

His hopes of using it in a dungeon were immediately dashed when he saw its skill list. The name "Gold Growth" told him everything he needed to know, and the implications flooded his mind.

"That suggests I can buy its magic, stats, and maybe even levels with gold."

Sure enough, when he opened the skill, a shop-like list with hundreds of abilities appeared, including items like 'Gold Dragon Level Growth Potion' and 'Gold Dragon Stat Growth Potion.' 'This damned pay-to-win class.'

Still, the ability to raise a dragon with gold had potential. Give it one decent spell, and it would be like having a mage accompany him on his solo runs. He tried to stay positive.

▶ Fireball (Lv. 1): 500G

That positivity lasted until he saw the price of what he considered the most basic magic spell.

"Not buying it," he said flatly.

There were other spells, of course, but they were just different elements with the same 500G price tag. If he really committed, he could probably grind for a month and buy it for his new family member, but he felt no compelling need to do so.

"I'd rather use that 500 to level up Wait for Free Gold."

He had to focus on the core principle. His growth strategy was to invest everything in himself—the one who made the impossible possible. If this dragon had provided a passive stat boost or a combat buff just by existing, he would have gladly spent the gold. But teaching it magic was just adding another mage to the party. For Buja, who had endless uses for 500 gold, it wasn't an appealing trade.

"I'd be better off just hiring a mage."

It could probably cast buffs with its high magic stat, but he gave up on that idea when he saw that a single basic buff cost 2,000G. The only affordable option was the 200G 'Body Slam,' but how much damage could a palm-sized dragon really do?

"Just cheer for me from the sidelines," he decided, concluding his assessment.

"Tweet!"

A golden dragon. A new family member had just landed on his shoulder.

3.

Having cleared that hurdle, Buja left the bath and returned to his penthouse. The underwhelming pet system had given him a headache.

"I should just get some sleep."

He collapsed onto the plush bed, cranked up the air conditioning, and decided to check the constellation system—the feature that had appeared once before, only to vanish.

[Constellation]

▶ Currently Activated Constellation: 0 Stars

▶ Constellation Activation Effect: [Locked]

▶ Owned Constellations: [Locked]

It was still inaccessible. The constellation he'd earned previously wasn't reissued, so he would have to collect them all over again. He had a pretty good idea of how it worked.

"So I get a constellation by meeting certain clear conditions, and collecting them unlocks an effect?"

The connection between the name and the stars on dungeon clear conditions couldn't be a coincidence. When he managed to open the 'Owned Constellations' tab, his theory gained more weight.

▶ Owned Constellations (1-Star)

★ (N): Not Owned

★ (R): Not Owned

★ (E): Not Owned

★ (U): Not Owned

★ (S): Not Owned

★ (L): Not Owned

What would happen if he collected them all? A thrill of anticipation shot through him. The casual demand for a Legendary-grade star, in particular, ignited his competitive spirit.

"Well, that's a little more motivation."

He wouldn't know the exact effects until he started collecting, but given how rewarding the enhancement system was even at level 2, he doubted this would disappoint.

"Definitely better than the pet," he muttered, shaking his head at the golden ball of fluff rolling around on the corner of his bed. He cleared the holograms to check his final reward. "Now, what's the VIP Level 2 skill?"

He was about to open it when the system cut him off.

[24:00:00]

▷ (L) 'Wait for Free Gold' effect is now active.

▷ (L) VIP 1 Skill: 'Daily Gifts Galore!' effect is now active.

▷ (L) VIP 2 Skill: 'Today's Mission!' effect is now active.

[You have acquired 6G.]

[You have acquired a 'VIP 2 Attendance Box (2)'.]

[You have acquired 'Today's Mission!: Monster Hunt'.]

The system announced the start of a new day, proudly displaying its new features.

* * *

At his sudden request for a Rare-grade dungeon, Seora came to his penthouse in person.

"What's going on?" she asked, her expression laced with concern.

This was the man who had started with an Epic dungeon. The player who, after conquering a Unique, hadn't bothered with anything less for over a month. For him to suddenly ask for a Rare dungeon was alarming.

"Why a Rare dungeon all of a sudden? Are you injured?"

"Nothing like that," he replied, shaking his head at her worried gaze. It wasn't uncommon for players to speed-run low-level dungeons for quick cash, but that logic didn't apply to Buja, who could clear a Unique dungeon in three days. He offered a vague explanation. "It's a class thing. Looks like I'll have to run Normal and Rare dungeons from now on. Just think of it as my method of growth."

He said it casually, but he knew anyone with an ounce of perception would find it strange.

"A method to grow."

And Seora was far from unperceptive. If anything, she was sharper than most. Besides, her suspicions about his incredible progress had been building for some time.

"This is a secret, I assume?" she asked, her voice low.

"It's a bit early to let the public know," he admitted, indirectly confirming her suspicions.

A Legendary Class. The few that had been revealed had already established that they operated on a completely different level from ordinary classes. Seora nodded calmly, the pieces clicking into place. 'So that was it.' She had believed his achievements were due to his skill alone, but to learn that he also had a class of this caliber was astounding.

"I really am incredibly lucky," she breathed.

"Let's just say it's good for both of us."

As Seora pulled out her phone to arrange for the dungeon, a tiny golden sparrow zipped past her face.

"Kyaa!" She shrieked, her hand darting out to snatch the creature from the air.

"What is this?" she gasped, holding it gently.

"Ah, that's my pet," Buja replied nonchalantly, sipping his coffee. He couldn't unsummon it anyway, so he might as well introduce it to the person who would see it most often. It would save him some trouble later.

"It's so cute!" she squealed.

"…Huh?"

That was not the reaction he'd expected. He turned to see the tiny dragon, now squawking and flapping its wings desperately, trapped in Seora's hands as she cooed and rubbed her cheek against it.

* * *

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